Chimney sweep in Milwaukee, WI

Updated September 28, 2026 · Every figure checked twice against its source · How we verify

A chimney sweep in Milwaukee costs about $150 to $375 for a masonry chimney with a wood-burning fireplace and $80 to $150 for a gas fireplace, going by HomeGuide's national price survey; no survey publishes Milwaukee-only prices, so compare two written quotes against those ranges. The NFPA says to have chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional. Use the form below and we send your request to a chimney company that serves your Milwaukee ZIP code.

Chimney sweep Milwaukee: the local facts

Housing: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates for Milwaukee city, Wisconsin. Climate: NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals, Milwaukee Mitchell Airport. Fire figures: our analysis of FEMA NFIRS records for Wisconsin, 2020 to 2024.
	Milwaukee, WI
Population	566,973
Homes built in 1939 or earlier	34%
Median year homes were built	1953
Single-family detached homes	39.1%
Nights at or below freezing, per year	123
Average temperature, December to February	26.9°F
Chimney fires, share of residential fires, Wisconsin	5.6%
Wisconsin chimney fires in December to February	53.4%

Milwaukee homes and their chimneys

34% of Milwaukee's homes were built in 1939 or earlier, and half were built in 1953 or earlier. HomeGuide lists lining old and unlined brick chimneys among the most common uses of a stainless steel liner, and says clay flue tiles were traditionally used in older homes. HomeGuide's chimney repair price table puts liner replacement at $1,500 to $7,000, so in an older Milwaukee house, ask for the liner to be checked on camera during the inspection.

Milwaukee winters and your chimney

Milwaukee averages 123 nights a year at or below freezing and a December to February average of 26.9°F (NOAA normals, Milwaukee Mitchell Airport). That matters for the outside of the chimney: HomeGuide says cracks in brick and mortar usually start small at the corners but can expand quickly if water seeps in and freezes. Brick repair runs $150 to $500 for minor cracks and $1,000 to $3,500 for replacing brick from the crown to the roofline, according to HomeGuide.

Chimney fires in Wisconsin

Chimney fires confined to the chimney or flue made up 5.6% of residential structure fires in Wisconsin fire department records for 2020 to 2024, above the national 3.4%. 53.4% of Wisconsin's chimney fires happened in December, January and February, a smaller winter share than the national 57.4%. State-by-state figures: chimney-fires-by-state.csv.

Local rules and resources in Milwaukee

The Milwaukee Fire Department's safety advice for wood stoves and fireplaces: have the fireplace or stove installed properly, keep wood stoves 36 inches from combustible surfaces, have the chimney inspected every year and cleaned if necessary, and never close the damper while hot ashes are in the fireplace.

For a free smoke alarm, people in a single-family home or duplex call the department's Smoke Alarm Hotline at (414) 286-8980; apartment residents contact the Department of Neighborhood Services at (414) 286-2268.

In Wisconsin, one- and two-family homes fall under the state's Uniform Dwelling Code program.

The same Milwaukee Fire Department message warns that overbuilding a fire in a fireplace can ignite creosote in the chimney, advises burning a wood stove hot twice a day for 15 to 30 minutes, and says all unused flue openings should be sealed with solid masonry.

Chimney cleaning, inspection and repair in Milwaukee

A yearly Level 1 inspection costs $100 to $250 with a basic cleaning, according to HomeGuide, and a Level 2 inspection, which adds a video inspection, costs $250 to $600; HomeGuide recommends Level 2 when buying a home with a chimney. Common repairs such as a cap replacement or crown repair cost $200 to $850. Ask whether the sweep is CSIA certified. Details: chimney sweep cost, chimney inspection and chimney repair.

Other cities we cover

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates, tables B01003, B25024, B25034, B25035: data.census.gov
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020: www.ncei.noaa.gov
NFPA, Heating safety tip sheet: content.nfpa.org
Chimney Safety Institute of America, "Preventing Chimney Fires": www.csia.org
HomeGuide, chimney sweep cost, page dated February 9, 2026: homeguide.com
HomeGuide, chimney inspection cost, page dated February 9, 2026: homeguide.com
HomeGuide, chimney repair cost: homeguide.com
HomeGuide, chimney liner cost: homeguide.com
FEMA, OpenFEMA, NFIRS Annual Data, fire files 2020 to 2024, downloaded September 25, 2026: www.fema.gov
Vent & Flue analysis, chimney fires by state (CSV): chimney-fires-by-state.csv
Milwaukee Fire Department, Safety Message: milwaukeefd.com
Milwaukee Fire Department, How do I get a free smoke alarm installed: milwaukeefd.com
Wisconsin DSPS, Uniform Dwelling Code program: dsps.wi.gov

All sources read September 28, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).